Gold-club.



A. PRINGLE.

GOLF CLUB.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 19, 1912.

Patented Apr. 8, 1913.

ALEXANDER PRINGLE, OF EVERETT, MASSACHUSETTS.

GOLF-CLUB.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 19, 1912. Serial No. 710,8.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER PnINcLE, a subject of the King of Great Britain, and resident of Everett, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Golf-Clubs, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to golf clubs of the type wherein the head or blade is ad ustable with relation to the handle, so that one stick can be'used for playing'the game instead of a considerable number as is the common practice.

As is well known, the golf sticks in common use differ from one another not only 111 respect to the angles at which the faces or playing surfaces of the heads or blades are set with relation to the handle, but also in respect to the angles at which the bottom edges of the heads or blades are set to the handles. Thus the handle of a putter is at almost a right angle to the bottom of the blade; in a cleik the angle is greater and in a lofter it is still greater. Experience has amply demonstrated that a proper angular relationship between the handle and the bottom edge of the head or blade is as essential as the angular relationship between the face of the head and the handle; and in my opinion oneof the principal, if, not indeed the chief, reasons Why the adjustable golf sticks heretofore provided -have notgone into common use is because of their failure to provide anadjustment other than the axial adjustment whereby the face of the head or blade may be fixed at different angles with relation to the handle.

It is the object of this invention to provide a golf club wherein provision is made for simultaneously adjusting the angle between the face of the head and the handle and the angle between the bottom edge of the head and the handle.

Referring to the drawings which illustra certain embodiments of my invention,Fi ure 1 is a side view of my improved golf club partly in section and partly in elevation; Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2, Fig. 1; Fig. 3-is a side view partly in section and partly in elevation of a modified form of my invention; and Fig. 4 is an end elevation viewed from the right of Fig. 3.

X is the handle or shaft of the golf club secured within the shank A in the usual manner. The shank A has an offset A in which is a downwardly slanting socket or opening which constitutes a conical bearing for the shank B of the head or blade B. The shank B is curved upward with relation to the bottom edge of the heador blade, so that the axis of rotation of the head or blade is at an angle to the bottom edge thereof. A screw B upon the shank B projects beyond the offset A and a nut C upon said screw serves to lock the head B against rotation.

Preferably the front face of the offset A is provided with a plurality of recesses or insets a (Fig. 2) adapted to receive a lug b onthe head B. These cooperatin insets and lug serve as a guide to aid the p ayer in adjusting the head, and also serve in some measure to prevent the head from rotating upon its bearing.

The operation of the device is as follows: When the player desires to change the angu lar relationship of the head and handle, the

nut C is loosened sufliciently to permit the lug b to be withdrawn from. the inset a in which it is located. The head is then rotated until the face or playing surface thereof bears the proper angular relationship to the handle required by the lie or position of the ball.- Thereupon the nut C is tightened, locking the head in adjusted position. It will be apparent that as the axis of rotation bottom edge of said blade, the axial adjustment of the blade just described, which brings the blade to the dotted line position shown in Fig. 1, results in a simultaneous adjustment of the angle between the handle and the bottom edge of the blade, so that the player by one adjustment or partial rotation of the blade obtains both the axial and angular adjustment required to make his club the proper one for the particular stroke he intends to make.

Instead of the means for locking the blade in adjusted position shown in Fig. 1, I may employ the locking means shown in Figs. 3 and 4. In said figures X is the handle or shaft secured within the shank A which has the offset A provided with the downwardly slanting socket in which the upturned shank B of the blade B is adjust- 4 ably and rotatably mounted. The said blade is provided with a plurality of insets or depressions 6. Within said shaft is a dog D actuated by a spring E held between said dog and the end of said shaft X. The

Patented Apr. 8,1913.

' of the head or blade B is at an angle to the v said dog is normally pressed down bythe spring I) into one of the depressions I), thus locking the head or blade in adjusted position. A pin F passes through said dog and projects through slots on either side of said shank. \Vhen it is desired to change the angular relationship of the blade and handle, the player grasps the pin F and lifts the dog D out of engagement with the head. He then rotates the latter until the desired adjustment is secured and then permits the dog D to spring back and lock the head in adjusted position.

A golf club constructed according to my invention not only has the advantages which inhere in its adaptability by, adjustment closely to approach if not indeed duplicate in the. angular relationship of its parts the various clubs now in common use, but also the locking means are very simple, so that the adjustment may be quickly and readily made. Furthermore, as the axis of rotation of the blade or head is at an angle and passes through a point approximately central to the bottom edge thereof, there is little or no tendency upon the part of the blade to unlock and rotate when the player by accident or upon rough ground strikes the ground hard or fails to play the ball true.

I claim 1. A golf club comprising a handle and a blade adjustably mounted thereon and rotatable on an axis which is at an angle to the bottom edge of said blade, whereby rotation of the blade simultaneously changes the angle between said handle and the bottom edge of said blade and between said handle and the face of said blade, and means to lock said blade in adjusted position.

2. A golf club comprising a handle having a socket, a blade having an upturned shank adjustably mounted in said socket and rotatable upon an axis which is at an angle to the bottom edge of said blade, whereby rotation of the blade simultane ously changes the angle between said handle and the bottom edge of said blade and between said handle and the face of said blade,

blade in adjusted blade having an upturned shank adjustably and rotatably mounted in whereby the axis is at an angle to and means to lock said blade in adjusted position.

4. A golf club comprising a shaft, a shank for said shaft having an offset, a socket in said offset, a blade having an upturned shank adjustably and rotatably mounted in said socket, whereby the axis of rotation of said blade is at an angle to the bottom ed e thereof, and means to lock said blade in a ijusted position comprising a screw mounted on said blade and a nut on said screw.

A golf club comprising a shaft, a shank for said shaft havin an offset, a socket in said offset, a plurality of insets upon the face of said offset, a blade having an upturned shank and a lug adapted to cooperate with said insets, said shank adjustably and rotatably mounted in said socket, whereby the axis of rotation of said blade is at an angle to the bottom edge thereof, a

said socket, of rotation of said blade screw on said shank of said blade and a nut on said screw adapted to lock said blade in adjusted position. i

6. A golf club comprising a shaft, a shank for said shaft having an offset, a conical socket in said offset, a plurality of insets upon the face of said offset, a blade having an upturned conical shank and a lug adapted to cooperate with said insets, said shank adjustably and rotatably mounted in said socket, whereby the axis of rotation of said blade is at an angle to the bottom ed e thereof, a screw on said shank of said bla e and a nut on said screw adapted to lock said blade in adjusted position.

Signed by me at Boston, Massachusetts, this fifteenth day of July, 1912.

ALEXANDER PRINGLE. Witnesses:

CHARLES D. WVooDBEImY, ROBERT GUsHMAN.

the bottom edge thereof, 

